1988–89 Atlanta Hawks season

The 1988–89 Atlanta Hawks season was the 40th season for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association, and their 21st season in Atlanta, Georgia. After falling into the second round of the NBA playoffs for three straight seasons, the Hawks signed free agent and All-Star forward Moses Malone, who won an NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1983 NBA Finals, acquired All-Star guard Reggie Theus from the Sacramento Kings, and signed undrafted rookie small forward Duane Ferrell during the off-season. However, Kevin Willis was out with a broken foot suffered during the preseason, and was later on suspended indefinitely for missing functions and rehabilitation therapy.

With the addition of Malone and Theus, the Hawks won their first three games of the regular season, but then struggled losing six of their next nine games, leading to a 6–6 start to the season. However, the team posted a six-game winning streak between November and December afterwards, posting an 11–3 record in December, and later on holding a 28–19 record at the All-Star break. The Hawks posted a nine-game winning streak in April, won 12 of their final 14 games of the season, and finished in third place in the Central Division with a 52–30 record, earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference; the team also reached 50 wins for the fourth consecutive season.

Dominique Wilkins averaged 26.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Malone averaged 20.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, and Theus provided the team with 15.8 points, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. In addition, Doc Rivers provided with 13.6 points, 6.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game, while John Battle contributed 9.5 points per game off the bench, and Cliff Levingston averaged 9.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Also off the bench, Antoine Carr provided with 7.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while Jon Koncak averaged 4.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and Spud Webb contributed 3.9 points and 3.5 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas, Wilkins and Malone were both selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team; it was Malone's final All-Star appearance. Meanwhile, Webb participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the third time; Wilkins was also selected for the Slam Dunk Contest, but did not participate. Malone finished tied in 13th place in Most Valuable Player voting.

In the Eastern Conference First Round of the 1989 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Hawks faced off against the 5th–seeded Milwaukee Bucks, a team that featured All-Star forward Terry Cummings, sixth man Ricky Pierce, and Jack Sikma. The Hawks won Game 1 over the Bucks at home, 100–92 at the Omni Coliseum, but then lost the next two games, which included a Game 3 loss to the Bucks on the road in overtime, 117–113 at the Bradley Center as the Bucks took a 2–1 series lead. The Hawks managed to win Game 4 over the Bucks on the road in overtime, 113–106 to even the series. However, the Hawks lost Game 5 to the Bucks at the Omni Coliseum, 96–92, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.

The Hawks finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 644,291 at the Omni Coliseum during the regular season. Following the season, Theus was left unprotected in the 1989 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Orlando Magic expansion team.

One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on April 5, 1989, in which the Hawks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers at home by a 42-point margin, 135–93 at the Omni Coliseum. The Hawks got off to an 18–2 lead early in the game, and later on held a 78–37 lead over the 76ers at halftime; at one point during the game, the Hawks led by 50 points with a 130–80 lead late in the fourth quarter, when Carr hit a technical free throw with 2 minutes and 53 seconds left in the game.